Tuesday, 14 April 2015

Unlocking Hidden #Clerkenwell @leonrestaurants

About 18 months ago I
was hired to do a walk for a group of architects in the Islington/Smithfield
area. These guys were the good ones - not into glass monoliths but took old
buildings and created useable space without destroying them - so I wanted to
give them some good and bad examples in the area. Googling the subject came up
with Smokehouse Yard and the Smokehouse.

Never heard of it? Well,
neither had I so the search began.

I scoured the area and walked up and down St
John's Street with no success whatsoever and eventually decided that the
website had been old and the buildings had sadly disappeared. But some time
later I got the opportunity to give it a second go and discovered my mistake. It
had been a weekend and the gates to the Smokehouse are closed and from the
street there is absolutely no hint of the MOST FANTASTIC PIECE OF INDUSTRIAL
ARCHITECTURE in London.

Here it is in all its
glory.

Close to Smithfield so the meat could be brought here quickly and
easily. Here they were hung from hooks in the ceiling and the building was now
sealed. In the photographs you can see the round windows - originally open with
no glass…

A tug on the metal chain would bring the huge metal circles moving up
on the tracks to cover the openings. Thick metal shutters were placed over the
windows coming out to the balcony and then the smoking could begin. The
blackened chimneys were the only way out for the smoke and inside was produced
the ham and bacon for the capital's tables.

On one occasion I've
managed to get inside the building and that's a bit of a disappointment. The
inside has been transformed into small units for designers and media companies
and there's no hint of its original use but I have a theory and I need to come
back here on a dull, damp day. Because in the right conditions, I'm pretty
convinced that the building will give up its secrets and will smell of bacon
sandwiches and the smoking process that produced them.

Now you could start
your own hunt for this one but you'll not get there at weekends. If you want to
see it easily and in context to the whole area then join me on the Secret Village walk, Mondays 2.30pm from St Paul's.
You'll see it and, who knows, if the conditions are just right, maybe we'll get
to smell it too!

P.S. Here's my reward
for the trip to take the photographs. Leon, Cowcross Street, mug of tea and
Ginger Lemon Crunch. Heaven!

POST UPDATED 29/2/16

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